Cozumel Flora 3

Muir’s Biblical Reason for Praising Plants

On his 1,000 mile walk from Indiana to the Gulf of Mexico, not long after the Civil War ended, John Muir encountered a man who questioned his motive to study plants, or ‘botanize’ as he often put it. The man said, “You look like a strong-minded man, and surely you are able to do something

Butterfly along Vertical Prairie

This little guy was hanging out on a green retaining wall planted with Missouri natives.

Desaturated Prairie

Here’s the last photo from my visit to Shaw Nature Reserve last weekend. Another prairie plant I’m unfamiliar with.  I suppose that makes it easier for me to mess with the saturation/contrast of the original then… The original. Let me know if you’re familiar with this plant species, genus, or family.

More Prairie, More Fall Color

One more photo from our trail walk at Shaw Nature Reserve on Prairie Day. I almost NEVER edit my photos beyond the occasional crop and resize.  The first photo, however, I thought Looked pretty good.  Here are both.  

Fall Bloomer in the Prairie

This was also in the prairie at Shaw Nature Reserve along with the Gentian (See previous entry).  It appears to be Slender False Foxglove (Agalinis tenuifolia), formerly known as Gerardia tenuifolia.  It is a beautiful native, late-season annual.

Prairie Gentian

Today was Prairie Day at Shaw Nature Reserve.  I learned how to use an atlatl, saw many cool exhibits, ate a bison burger, and took a walk through the prairie with the camera.   While the brutal drought is still evident throughout the region, the recent rains seem to be aiding in the fall bloom

Living Wall Prezi

I recently experimented with the innovative presentation tool called Prezi.  This is an amazing way to visualize presentations, get the bigger picture, and allow for a less linear look.  This is a presentation I made last week outlining the basics about living walls “Introduction to Living Walls” Let me know what you think.  If the

Your wall should be alive!

You’re likely reading this from within the walls of your home or business.  If you are reading this outside, you’re likely not far from a building or any other man-made structure.  People spend 90% of their time inside.  And 82% of the people in the U.S. reside in urban or suburban areas.  Urban areas have

Hovering with a Hummingbird Moth

I mentioned before that hummingbird moths enjoy Rose Verbena (Glandularia canadensis), but I didn’t have my camera until later.  Well, this time I was prepared with a camera and patience.  One Clearwing Hummingbird Moth was visiting the purple flowers in a field in southwest Missouri.  I chased it around with the zoom lens, getting several